2023 FedEx St. Jude Power Rankings: Top 10 Golfers To Watch At TPC Southwind

The 2023 PGA Tour regular season is now in the books. This week's FedEx St. Jude Championship will mark the first leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, as the Top-70 players in the season-long points standings head to Memphis, Tennessee in hopes of advancing in the PGA Tour's postseason.

In this article, you will find my 2023 FedEx St. Jude Championship Power Rankings, which gives a first look into the top 10 golfers who are primed to make a significant impact in this year's edition of the event. These players should be considered serious contenders at TPC Southwind this week and are legitimate threats to take home the FedEx St. Jude title when the tournament gets underway on Thursday, August 10th, 2023.

Hopefully, these rankings provide some insight into the current landscape of the PGA Tour, the FedEx Cup Playoffs, and the upcoming tournament. Players have been evaluated on recent performances, statistical analysis, and course history. With a unique and elite field of just 70 competitors and a TPC Southwind layout that's no pushover, the 2023 FedEx St. Jude Championship promises to be a fun tournament for golf fans and an intense one for golfers trying to advance in the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

#10. Sepp Straka

Fueled by Diet Coke and a hot putter, the Sqairz spokesman chugs into Memphis in dangerous form. It's perhaps surprising to see Sepp Straka crack our Power Rankings for such a star-studded event, but the big Austrian shouldn't be taken lightly this week due to his current form and performance in last year's FedEx St. Jude.

Straka went the distance with Will Zalatoris at TPC Southwind in the 2022 FedEx St. Jude renewal, ultimately coming up short against Willy Z in a playoff. He returns to Memphis looking to get the job done on the heels of some inspiring recent performances that include a win at the John Deere Classic and a runner-up finish at the Open Championship in the month of July.

Though he's tough to peg statistically, Straka's volatility comes with serious upside, which he's displayed brilliantly of late. He comes into the week looking to not only make some noise in the FedEx Cup Playoffs but also with designs of locking up a spot on the European Ryder Cup team.

Sepp Straka borrowed Kevin Kisner’s longtime caddie Duane Bock before the John Deere Classic.

Then he won the John Deere. Now he’s T2 at the Open! Straka said their future is still TBD — but pretty dreamy start for the duo. pic.twitter.com/ck39Xni9rU

— Dylan Dethier (@dylan_dethier) July 23, 2023

#9. Tyrrell Hatton

The fiery Englishman heads to Tennessee in perhaps the most consistent form of his career. The sometimes-surly Hatton should be in a good mood for a couple of reasons, as he recently banked a cool $1 million bonus for winning the PGA Tour's AON Risk/Reward Challenge (Don't ask me to explain it) and has experienced a noticeable surge in his ball striking in 2023.

The uptick in his T2G output, in concert with his all-world short game, has helped him to be a top-20 machine this season. With a hop across the pond that resulted in a respectable T20 at the Open and a T6 in the Scottish, Hatton has logged top-20s in 11 of his 15 PGA Tour starts this year.

He's now gained strokes Total in every start since the Masters and will look to keep the good times rollin' in Memphis. Hatton hasn't exactly shown an affinity for TPC Southwind in the past, though he's made the cut in each of his last four St. Jude starts and did record a T17 in the 2021 edition. While those past results don't exactly blow us away, Hatton is actually a very nice fit on paper for this week's layout and waltzes into the FedEx Cup Playoffs in confident form.

Tyrrell Hatton leads scoring on #AonRiskReward holes with one event (@WyndhamChamp) remaining in this season's race to $1 million. 👀

Golf Channel | @Aon_plc pic.twitter.com/WVOnuMpKqp

— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) July 31, 2023

#8. Xander Schauffele

Since a weekend spent stuck in the mud at the U.S. Open, it's been a quiet, yet respectable, six weeks for Xander Schauffele. The Californian has turned in solid, if unspectacular, results in recent outings, logging top-20 finishes in two of his last three starts.

However, it has now been just over three months since his last top-five finish, which can likely be attributed to some spotty-by-his-standards work around the greens that's led to him losing an average of 0.4 strokes ATG over his last five tournaments.

One of the PGA Tour's most consistently-elite producers, Schauffele will try to get back into the mix for a FedEx Playoff run at a TPC Southwind layout on which he's never missed a cut in five career starts and scored a T6 in 2020.

#7. Tommy Fleetwood

The hard-luck Englishman was left in the dust by Brian Harman over the weekend at Royal Liverpool in his most recent start, but Fleetwood's effort at the Open remains commendable and a reminder that he continues to put himself in the mix to win golf tournaments.

His ultimate T10 result at Hoylake was a reflection of his white-hot recent form that's included top-10 finishes in four of his last five starts. Fleetwood's game has been firing in all aspects and he grades out fourth in Strokes Gained: Total among this week's elite FedEx St. Jude entrants. He's also had some success at TPC Southwind with a T4 in 2019 standing as his best result across three career trips to Memphis.

#6. Rickie Fowler

The "Rickie Redemption Tour" has been rolling right along in 2023 and culminated in a long-awaited victory for the fan favorite in Detroit just over a month ago. A win that Fowler followed up with a top-25 finish at Hoylake.

There's no reason to believe that Fowler can't stay on this torrid pace for the Playoff stretch, as he's been one of the game's most consistent all-around players in 2023, ranking eighth on the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Total this season. In addition to his steady return to form, Fowler has a pair of top-15 on his TPC Southwind CV across four career St. Jude appearances.

#5. Patrick Cantlay

It's hard to get super excited about Patrick Cantlay, a golfer that seems content to play the role of the PGA Tour's resident Grinch. Despite his lack of personality and molasses-like pace of play, Cantlay - currently the fourth-ranked player in the world - must still be recognized as one of the game's most consistent talents.

In addition to his consistency throughout 2023, the Californian has historically shown the ability to get things done down the stretch. Two years ago Cantlay went on a full-blown heater to capture the 2021 FedEx Cup on the heels of two wins and he again took down a Playoff event last year at the BMW Championship. He'll try to continue his August excellence this week on a TPC Southwind layout where he's amassed a 68.94 career scoring average and never missed a cut in four starts.

Ready to make another Playoff run! pic.twitter.com/khoMQnA5F2

— Patrick Cantlay (@patrick_cantlay) August 6, 2023

#4. Viktor Hovland

The young Norwegian continues to produce every time he tees it up. Hovland followed a breakthrough win at the Memorial with top-20 finishes in both the U.S. Open and Open Championship. His career year has been powered by elite ball striking and a short game that has progressed. He's gained strokes tee-to-green in every start of 2023 and currently ranks sixth on the PGA Tour in Total Driving.

On paper, this TPC Southwind layout that rewards excellent ball striking should be a perfect fit for Hovland. He's improved in each of his three career FedEx St. Jude starts with a T20 in last year's edition standing as his best result in the Tennessee event to this point. Hovland has impressed at every turn this year, so a strong start to the Playoffs would come as no surprise.

Viktor Hovland, with puppy on board, laughing at the dismay of his competitors.

No notes.

via antonjrr/IG pic.twitter.com/oZNToUvHfm

— Rick Gehman (@RickRunGood) July 28, 2023

#3. Jon Rahm

Did Jon Rahm get his groove back? After a blistering start to 2023 that included four wins and culminated with a victory at the Masters, Rahm cooled considerably in subsequent months. That dip was fueled in large part by a short game that began to trend downward after his triumph at Augusta National. He enters the FedEx St. Jude ranked just 68th in the field in SG: Around The Green.

While the Spaniard has been relatively quiet over the last four months, a strong runner-up finish at the Open Championship that included a record-breaking third-round 63, likely provided a very strong jolt to the system for a player that's capable of going on dominant winning binges and has remained solid throughout the year from tee-to-green. In three career starts at TPC Southwind, Rahm has finished T7 or better twice.

History for Jon Rahm ✍️‼️

He becomes the first player to break 65 at Hoylake in an Open Championship! pic.twitter.com/Yp046s4qH6

— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) July 22, 2023

#2. Rory McIlroy

Now a couple of weeks removed from a whirlwind European stay that included a dramatic victory at the Scottish Open followed by yet another major championship letdown at Royal Liverpool, McIlroy has had time to settle down, regroup, and focus on the start of the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

We've seen him play dominant golf during this time of the year on multiple occasions, including last season when he won his third FedEx Cup title.

McIlroy has amassed a 68.59 career scoring average at TPC Southwind with a T4 in 2019 standing as his best effort on the Memphis layout.

#1. Scottie Scheffler

It speaks volumes as to just how good Scottie Scheffler has been this year when a T23 effort at the Open Championship, where he gained 5.7 strokes total, is considered an underwhelming outing.

His result at Hoylake was his first non-top-five finish since May, and remarkably, his first result worse than T12 since October of last year. Yeah...Scheffler's been that good this year, which is why he's likely to "rebound" this week in Memphis.

Though the Texan's track record at TPC Southwind isn't dominant, a pair of top-15 finishes across his last three St. Jude starts, confirms he has what it takes to succeed on this layout.

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